'Bangladesh is one of the best': Caniggia on Bangladesh’s Argentina obsession

Argentine football legend Claudio Caniggia met budding Bangladeshi footballers at the Fortis Football Academy in Dhaka on Monday during his visit as the guest of honour at the Pillow Chips Dhaka Interschool Champions League (DICL) 2026. The former World Cup star, renowned for his blistering pace and iconic partnership with Diego Maradona, handed out prizes before sitting down with the media. Here’s what the Argentina great had to say about Bangladesh, its footballing hopes, the country’s extraordinary passion for Argentina, Maradona, Messi and more.

Q: How has your experience in Bangladesh been, and what do you make of the country’s passion for Argentina?

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Claudio Caniggia: I received a very warm welcome. The people here are great, and I’m enjoying Bangladesh because they are so passionate. I knew many Bangladeshis followed Argentina, especially after the 1986 World Cup and Diego Maradona’s time with the national team. I saw the images on TV, so I wasn’t surprised. For me, it’s a great pleasure to be here for the first time and meet the people closely. It’s great to see how much they enjoy Argentina’s victories, especially in the last World Cup.

Q: Do you think Bangladesh can qualify for the 2030 World Cup?

Caniggia: We know it is always hard to qualify for the World Cup. I was told Bangladesh are growing, so I hope they can do better than before. There are so many teams around the world and many are improving. With the World Cup now expanded to 48 teams, and perhaps 64 in the future, we hope Bangladesh can have the opportunity to qualify.

It’s not an easy road. It depends on the coaches, the government, the environment, the work you do and developing more talent. It’s a long way, but I hope it can happen. Why not?

Q: Tell us about your famous kiss with Diego Maradona and your red card at the 2002 World Cup.

Caniggia: Diego was a friend of mine, and we Argentinians miss him a lot. We played together for many years with the national team, and I grew up watching him because I was a little younger. We also played together at Boca Juniors. As for the kiss, it was something natural. He wanted to do it and we did it. It was just a friendly kiss between friends.

The red card in 2002 was incredible. It was a referee’s mistake. We all make mistakes, and referees make mistakes too. I was sent off while I was on the bench. I don’t know why it happened, but it was awful. It wasn’t a great thing for me, but it wasn’t my mistake -- it was a referee’s mistake.

Q: Bangladesh has many Argentina fans. Can you feel their passion?

Caniggia: I wasn’t surprised because I knew about it after Argentina won the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. At first, you think it’s crazy because Bangladesh and Argentina are so far apart, with different cultures and traditions. But it’s great to hear about Bangladesh supporting Argentina.

I believe Bangladesh is one of the best because there are so many passionate people. They suffer when Argentina suffer, not just celebrate the victories. I saw their faces on TV when Argentina were almost out of the last World Cup, and then saw the people in the streets after the game against Egypt. It was crazy, but it was great for us. Argentina have supporters around the world, as do big teams such as Brazil and Italy, but not like the people of Bangladesh.

Q: How disappointed were you to see Argentina lose the 2026 World Cup final to Spain?

Caniggia: Of course I was disappointed because Argentina lost, but honestly, I believe Spain deserved to win. They played better over the 120 minutes. Argentina had many injured players and were tired after playing two 120-minute matches, so they didn’t reach the final in good shape. Spain were better and deserved to win the World Cup.

Q: If you had to choose between Maradona and Messi, who would you pick?

Caniggia: We are fortunate to have two of the three most talented players in history. I believe Pele was the other one. Pele, Maradona and Messi were the great players in football history, and we Argentinians have two of them. That is something important and something great for us.

Q: Do you believe Argentina received favourable treatment from FIFA at the 2026 World Cup?

Caniggia: No, not at all. There was no conspiracy. Any Argentina player will tell you the same. Spain were the better team and deserved to win. They were much better than France in the semifinal, even though France were considered the team to beat before the World Cup. Spain beat both of the best teams — France and Argentina. I don’t believe in any conspiracy.

Q: You were a superb sprinter and reportedly ran 100 metres in under 11 seconds. Why did you choose football over athletics? And would you consider working with Bangladesh’s national team?

Caniggia: I could have been an athlete, running the 100 or 200 metres. I started playing football when I was young, while also loving athletics. I still enjoy watching the Olympics and the great 100m and 200m sprinters. But football was my real passion.

Speed is a great advantage in football and any sport, but football is not just about speed. You need many other skills. Otherwise, Usain Bolt or Carl Lewis could play football. It’s not just speed.

As for working with Bangladesh, I’ve never received a proposal. If I got the chance, of course I would think about it. It would be beautiful to work with a team that wants to grow and benefit from my experience. But I’m not proposing myself -- to be clear, I’m not proposing myself. Why not? Coaches work abroad and take charge of national teams all the time. Look at Curacao, who qualified for the World Cup for the first time under Dick Advocaat, who was my coach late in my career. So why not work with a team that has never been to the World Cup?